Education

HILLSVILLE — Carroll County Public Schools has received nearly $100,000 in school security equipment grants.

The grant awards are part of a $6 million grant disbursement approved by Gov. Terry McAuliffe in September. According to a news release, the grant funds were split to assist 100 school divisions in the state, as well as six regional education programs. Funds will help buy video monitoring systems, direct communications links between schools and law enforcement agencies and other security upgrades in 373 schools and other buildings.

INDEPENDENCE – Upgrades to the Grayson County High School bleachers have been put on hold indefinitely after initial costs estimates — and a potential budget shortfall for the school division — came in higher than expected.

Division Superintendent Kevin Chalfant updated the school board on estimated costs for the aging bleachers after receiving information from The Lane Group.

Galax City Schools will offer remediation and enrichment for students next week, and again in February. Funded by a Virginia Department of Education planning grant, the programs are in their first year and school administration has high hopes for them.

Along with only 21 school divisions out of Virginia’s 132 total, Galax City Public Schools achieved full accreditation from the Virginia Department of Education.

This information was released Sept. 16 by the VDOE.

The percentage of schools meeting state accreditation standards lessens for a second consecutive year as a result of the more rigorous reading, writing, science and mathematics Standards of Learning (SOL) tests introduced since 2011, according to the VDOE.

CANA — When Special Education teacher Jacob Adams sat down on the chair in front of the St. Paul School entrance, he wasn’t quite prepared for the bucket of bright green slime two students were holding just inches behind his head.

Outwardly, he remained calm until the mob of students flanking both entrances to the building started counting down in unison: “Five…Four…Three…Two…One!”

INDEPENDENCE – Falling enrollment in Grayson County could cause a more than $1 million school budget shortfall if things don’t improve before the end of the year.

School Division Superintendent Kevin Chalfant told the Grayson School Board last week that, although things looked “pretty dire” at the beginning of the school year, enrollment has since come up a little.

The division started the year with only 1,693 students enrolled, but as of the latest numbers that had risen to 1,719.

The Galax School Board on Sept. 9 tabled a decision to purchase a Kipling Lane property for the building of a new elementary school until the next meeting.

This decision was made due to the city’s policy of a 30-day window for appeals following a zoning decision — in this case, city council’s approval the previous night of the school board’s conditional use permit for the property.